The present invention relates to a land vehicle and, in particular, to a land vehicle whose main body is a hollow sphere having a continuous external surface defining a skin.
Numerous prior art devices involve the basic spherical structure and includes various internal mechanisms, such as internal combustion engines and counterbalanced power means driven manually and electrically.
Representative examples of typical prior art devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,381,620 issued May 3, 1983 to Panzarella, 4,386,787 issued June 7, 1983 to Maplethorpe et al., 4,501,569 issued Feb. 26, 1985 to Clark Jr. et al. and 4,579,336 issued Apr. 1, 1986 to Morin.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,620 reference shows a standard 32 supporting a transparent sphere 12 in gimbal-like fashion where the sphere houses a novelty item 20 free to move about within the sphere on a spindle 22.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,386,787 reference shows a spherical vehicle 10 with an internal body support mounted pivotably and driven by pedals 114 connected to a friction wheel 120 engaging the internal surface of the sphere.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,569 reference shows a spherical unit having an internal power unit with a means for steering accomplished by changing the angular position of a suspended mass 14.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,336 reference shows a cage-like spherical, recreational vehicle which includes a body support suspended on a transverse shaft with disk brakes 28 operable to steer the unit.
While many of these disclosures are in the novelty or amusement category and have varied degrees of utility, none show or suggest a spherical vehicle having external attachments.